Author Takeover: William Thatch and his "A Haunting of Words" story

Today author William Thatch takes over my page with a discussion about his short story, "A Wacky, Fantastical Misadventure in New Haven," appearing in the anthology A Haunting of Words, which also includes my brand new short story, "Anesthetize (or A Dream Played in Reverse on Piano Keys"):

“A Wacky, Fantastical Misadventure in New Haven” is about a man who is being haunted by the mischievous ghost of Adolf Hitler. Wacky hilarity ensues.

What inspired you to write this story?: The general inspiration for an absurdist comedy story came from the Frank Burly series by John Swartzwelder. How precisely I came up with this story, I have no idea. There was no particular impetus. I just put fingers to keyboard and let the story take me where it did. I knew the bare bones of the ending and the journey there, but that was it.

How long have you been writing?: Twenty-three years. If my writing were a Hollywood child actor, it would have been to rehab twice, house arrest once, had career ruined because of a flippant offhand comment about Jews, and found religion by now.

What genres do you most associate with in your writing?: Science fiction, primarily. I like to pair it with other things like noir, western, comedy, etc.

What are you working on right now?: A novella named Renaissance—a sequel about a French hitman with a heart of gold. The Caper Chronicles—a dramedy teleplay about a heist. And my entry for the next ‘Of Words’ anthology, which presently has no name, no characters, no story, no concept—you might say I have nothing prepared for it, and I’d call you technically correct, but a little mean for pointing it out.

What else do you have available/published: “The Highway” is featured in A Journey of Words. It is about a dog named Connie who gets away from her abusive owner and goes on an adventure to see and smell all the things she hadn’t seen and smelled before.

What advice do you give to new writers?: Write. Be honest about what you did wrong and what you could do better. Write some more. Don’t repeat the same mistakes.